


Clever Creature

by InkWitch (serkestic), proshy



Category: Free!, High☆Speed!
Genre: F/M, First Crush, Gen, Post-Canon Fix-It, follows the timeline of High Speed! 2, makkou lives au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-03 23:50:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5311790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serkestic/pseuds/InkWitch, https://archiveofourown.org/users/proshy/pseuds/proshy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aki has come to think of the moment just before the sun is swallowed by the sky as <i>their</i> time, that one part of the day that belongs to her and Nanase-kun and Makkou-chan alone. The time of magic lights and new discoveries.</p><p><i>This is the twelfth sunset I've watched with Nanase-kun and Makkou-chan this year</i>, a small voice muses in her head.</p><p>It’s frightening, how, despite the routine, her heart still can’t quite define these moments as ordinary.</p><p>[<b>or else</b>: a boy and a girl and a dog fall in love]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clever Creature

At this time of day, there is a low buzz of life in the air that gets under her skin. Like an itch that’s trying to calm her down rather than rile her up. The sun is about to progress towards the horizon, the sky is dimmed and people are still out and about. Her favourite spot ends up being the flower patch beside the bridge; the hum burrows here quietly and she can kneel beside the flowers and feel herself winding down.

Aki likes the walk back home from school because it lets her experience this part of the day all the time. It’s lucky too, that her favourite place is on the route. She always feels like that must have some meaning in itself: the fact that this pocket of a space is placed so she could encounter it so often. Whatever did that mean?

Though it doesn’t have to mean anything, other than comfort. Aki would go back home to a petulant brother drawing attention to himself at the dinner table and nonchalantly trying to steal meat off of her plate, a mother sharply scolding her when she retaliated with a jab of her chopsticks, and a father watching television and absent-mindedly eating his rice one grain at a time. The evening would recede into a familiar type of quiet, each family member in different rooms, and Aki would inevitably trudge to her desk to finish her homework out of sheer boredom.

It wasn’t very comforting, that boredom.

And as that thought fades into the background of her mind, a staccato bark rends the air. Aki jerks up into a stand, looks around; the hum of her spot is shattered.

A black dog bounds up to her, falling half on her knees in an excited attempt to lick her face. Aki falls back, holding onto its collar while laughing helplessly. She manages to tug the dog back enough to sit upright when a voice calls to it.

“Makkou, here.”

Nanase-kun is kneeling and scratching behind the ear of his dog when Aki gets to her feet, dusting the back of her shorts. The dog whines and paws at the ground, turning to face her even as his master glanced up at her. Aki spies the tiniest quirk at the corner of his lips before Nanase-kun’s face settles back into the ordinary deadpan.

She grins.

“Nanase-kun! Is this your dog?”

“Yes,” says Nanase-kun, in an isn’t-it-obvious sort of voice. His dog tore away from his grip to circle Aki’s legs. “He’s Makkou.”

“Ah, Makkou…?” Aki looks down at the pup at her feet. She laughs out loud, squatting to take the dog’s face in her hands. “You named him after Tachibana-kun? That’s so like you!”

She strokes the top of Makkou’s head and looks up to see Nanase-kun scowling a little. This time, she stops herself from giggling aloud.

“His name is Makkou…”

“Ah, were you teasing Tachibana-kun?” says Aki, not able to prevent a smile from coming to her face. “Nanase-kun can be so mean sometimes.”

At that, he looks away to the side, fists shoved into his pockets. They stand at the end of Mutsukibashi and the gentle crashing of waves can be heard still. It sounds like breathing. Aki stands up, patting Makkou and letting him paw at her feet, and looks at Nanase-kun with that inevitable smile. He looks softer during the sunset.

“Are you going home?”

She doesn’t know if she spoke first, or he; but he looks back at her, startled at their voices speaking simultaneously. Nanase-kun startled has wider, bluer eyes than usual and Aki smiles wider, trying to hide how her cheeks are warming.

“Ah,” she says, pausing to see if he would speak too. When the boy stays quiet, Aki continues, looking down at Makkou pacing from her feet to his master’s: “Yeah. I’m heading home. You too, Nanase-kun?”

“Yeah,” mumbles Nanase-kun. He crouches and catches hold of his dog’s collar and keeps him there. “I was just walking Makkou.”

Quiet, quiet, hum. It thrums in her veins.

“We have loads of homework for tomorrow, don’t we? We’d better be on our way then.”

“Yeah.”

And then they stand, and then they walk away, Aki going one way and Nanase and his dog going the other. Makkou turns back and barks at Aki; she laughs and waves at him, making him wag his tail frantically in response. She waves at Nanase-kun as well and he pauses.

“He likes you.”

Aki’s eyes widen.

“What?”

Is it just her? Or is it the stain of the sunset colouring the tips of Nanase-kun’s ears as he bows his head to hide his expression? Aki feels her cheeks grow warm again and is glad for the orange glow that hides whatever her face is revealing against her wishes.

“Makkou likes you. He doesn’t take to people immediately.”

“Ah…”

Aki wishes she could stop her smile from being so wide. She can’t, so she beams happily and laughs to diffuse the tension in her chest.

“I’m honoured! I like Makkou-chan too! I hope we get to meet again, right Makkou-chan?”

She speaks to the dog and he responds with a volley of barks. His master hurries to shush him, tapping his head gently. Nanase-kun looks up at her. She doesn’t see any hint of a smile on his face but warmth blossoms in her chest anyway.

“Yeah, you’ll meet again.”

When she waves goodbye for the last time, Aki has to force herself not to skip away from the two.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“HARUUUUU. HELP!”

While Makoto’s various distressed noises have been filling the house for over ten minutes now, outright cries for assistance are markedly unusual for him. Haru tries not to panic as he takes the stairs two at a time; he doesn’t need Makoto’s hand to be bitten off to top off tonight’s excitement.

Upon walking into his parents’ bedroom, however, he is instead seized by the sudden desire to unearth the old camera his father has stashed away in a box somewhere. Makoto and his namesake are currently tangled in an overly long bedsheet with Makoto’s feet sticking out of one end and a fluffy tail out of another.

Successfully stifling his snort and committing the scene to memory, he pulls the sheet off of the pair, capturing the small dog in his arms as he attempts to make his escape.

“How’re we supposed to get him into the bath?” Makoto despairs from the floor. “He’s stinking up the house!”

Indeed, the house is overridden with a foul stench Haru has learned is uniquely associated with dog hair and there are clumps of fur littering his grandmother’s precious hardwood floors. Why a living breathing creature would willingly choose to be deprived of the water, Haru doesn’t have a clue. But he can feel his patience wearing thin and he’s this close to just letting Makkou live as a clod of dirt for the rest of his life in Nagisa’s house. Or maybe he should ship him off to Australia and see if Rin can annoy him into taking a bath.

“Haru-chaaaan!!!!”

The unexpected voice almost echoes in his house, and Haru and Makoto turns around to see an energetic yellow ball of fluff bouncing towards him, followed closely by ––

Haru feels his eyes widen before he can stop himself.

“…Hello, Nanase-kun, Tachibana-kun.” Yazaki offers an embarrassed smile. “Nagisa-kun insisted on coming in through the back door, saying you wouldn’t answer the doorbell…”

Haru is suddenly acutely aware of the disheveled dog in his arms and the upturned furniture scattered throughout the house as a result of Makoto and Makkou’s little romp; before he can pinpoint exactly why he feels the need to attack his house with a broomstick, he is distracted by Makkou leaping out of his hold and bounding up to Yazaki with no reservations.

“Makkou-chan!” Yazaki is suddenly beaming wide, even as she’s promptly thrown off her balance in Makkou’s attack. Makkou wriggles over her, trying to lick her face while she laughs,  trying to wrestle him off, and Haru is entirely flummoxed at why his heart appeared to want to escape his chest entirely.

Recovering slightly, Yazaki looks around at the destroyed room. “…What happened here?”

“We were trying to give Makkou a bath…” Makoto scratches his cheek sheepishly. “He just refuses to go into the water!”

“What, in Haru-chan's house? Unacceptable!” Nagisa exclaims. “Leave it to us Mako-chan, we'll make sure Makkou-chan has the shiniest coat around!” He claps his hands over his mouth. “That sounded like we're giving Mako-chan a bath! Um. The furry Mako-chan? HAHA.”

Haru internalizes his snort at the double-entendre. Yazaki looks politely confused and Makoto appears to be pulling off a fantastic impersonation of a dying fish.

“No really, Nagisa, you don't have to go through the trouble…” says Makoto, ever self-effacing, even though Haru can see the beginnings of desperate hope in his eyes.

“Yes, because you've clearly got it all under control,” Yazaki scoffs, eyes sparkling and one corner of her lips turning up. “Let us help, Tachibana-kun! I came here because Nagisa-kun said he was heading here to check on Makkou-chan anyway.” She turned back to the dog in her arms and gave him a smile. “Are you ready for your bath, little demon?”

“Well…” Makoto looks like he’s going to try to discourage them again, but Haru puts him out of his misery.

“The bathtub's downstairs.”

“There we go!” Nagisa and Yazaki run down the hallway, with the furry traitor eagerly at their heels. Ignoring Makoto's scandalized look, Haru follows them.

Laughter has filled his house, a contrast to the frustrated battling that had been going on before the arrival of the sunshine duo. Makoto wipes his hand across his forehead, sighing, “I’m glad Nagisa and Zaki-chan came to our rescue.”

“Who would have thought that Makoto can’t handle Makkou.”

“Haru!” Makoto gives him a wounded look and Haru looks away nonchalantly. “Makkou-chan is as stubborn as Haru-chan, that’s why…”

“Don’t be snarky, Makoto.”

“Says Haru-chan.”

They come to a stop at the sight of Nagisa and Yazaki at either side of his dog, braced in the doorway of the bathroom. He is clearly unwilling to enter the dreaded room, not even at his new favorite person's (Haru isn't jealous, really) insistence. Yazaki gives the two of them looks as they come up and Nagisa flops backward onto his butt.

“Makkou-chan is too stubborn!”

Haru ignores Makoto’s triumphant glance in his direction.

“He doesn't want to go into the water,” he deadpans. “It must not accept him.”

“Don’t be mean, Haru-chan!” Nagisa rolls his eyes. He turns back to Makkou, squishing Makkou's face between his palms. “Why would the water not accept someone as cute as you!”

Yazaki laughs. “He just needs some motivation, Nanase-kun! Let's see. Does he have any favorite toys or food or anything we can use to lure him in? Or… or!” She turns to look at Haru with a contemplative expression that suggested absolutely nothing positive.

Unintentionally, Haru takes a step back.

 

 

“I can’t believe you had Haru pretend to swim around in the bathtub and that was all it took!” Makoto is smiling like a boy brought back to life. “Why didn’t we try that before?”

“Because the bathtub’s too small for swimming,” Haru grouses, although he will privately admit that he feels rather refreshed. At least Yazaki had been gracious enough to volunteer to mop up the spills of her devious plan from the bathroom floor.

He’s also quite sure that Makkou had been motivated to jump after him because he thought Haru’s exaggerated flailing meant he was drowning in his bathtub and not extremely happy to be in the water, but Makoto probably doesn’t need that insight.

“A real team effort! Rin-chan would be proud.” Nagisa is currently half-passed out on the floor after half an hour of detangling the mess of Makkou's fur and chasing him around the two floors with Makoto.

Makoto laughs. “Rin would probably scold us for taking so long.”

“That’s because he’s annoying,” says Haru.

“I wonder if Rin-chan and Makkou-chan would get along?” wonders Nagisa out loud. He doesn’t try to move away from the wet tongue cleaning his face of water, lying replete in his sprawl on the floor.

“Well, they have one thing in common already,” says Yazaki.

The other three turn to look at her questioningly. Haru’s semi-offended at the idea of his dog sharing characteristics with his hyperbolic whirlwind of a friend. But then again, he named his dog after a friend so it’s not like he was room to complain. Yazaki’s eyes twinkle at him as if she can read his mind.

“They’re both inspired by Nanase-kun to be in the water more!”

“Ehhhhh,” whines Nagisa and Makoto is already laughing and nodding his head. Haru just shakes his head a little and moves forward to tug Makkou away from Nagisa.

“That was lame, huh?” laughs Yazaki.

“It’s a little true, at least,” says Makoto, smiling. “I hope Rin’s doing well.”

There are a lot of other I hope’s hanging in the air and Makoto looks down at his hands at the sudden quiet. Nagisa looks up at the ceiling, matching the silence for once, his expression relaxing into a contemplative stare. Haru looks at Yazaki.

Yazaki smiles brightly.

“I'm sure Matsuoka-kun is fine. He's always the one who moves forward, isn't he?”

Yeah, thinks Haru.

“Yeah,” says Makoto. There’s light in his eyes. He gets to his feet and holds out a hand to still-sprawling Nagisa. “Rin’s always moving forward. We shouldn't forget to either.”

“Oh! My parents are going to kill me if I'm late for bedtime!” Nagisa grabs a hold of Makoto’s proffered hand and pulls himself up, nearly toppling the both of them. He’s halfway through the door before Yazaki calls out to him.

“Let’s go together, Nagisa-kun!” Yazaki turns around and bows slightly. “Thank you for your hospitality, Nanase-kun. It was wonderful seeing you, Tachibana-kun, Makkou-chan. Let's meet again!”

She stands up, wrapping her dirty-white scarf around her neck. It’s slightly damp from being around their wet antics.

“Hey, Yazaki, wait.”

Yazaki turns around to face him. Haru’s ears feel unreasonably warm. He wonders if he’s coming down with something.

“…Thank you for helping out.”

She grins. “It was entirely my pleasure! I’m glad that I wasn’t imposing.”

“You––”

The look on Yazaki’s face is quizzical. Haru’s studiously not looking at Makoto but focusing on Yazaki is also proving more difficult than it needed to be. He moves his gaze to Nagisa’s damp hair, reaching out to pick a clump of fur still sticking in there.

“You and Makkou get along well together and he listens to the things you say… if you wanted, it would be helpful to me if you came to check on him every once in awhile. I wouldn't be bothered.”

She looks at him with slightly disbelieving eyes, and then her face splits into the widest smile of the evening.

"Well, now that you've made the offer, you'd better not be annoyed when I steal your dog all for myself, Nanase-kun!"

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Aki isn’t sure how this regular arrangement came to be, exactly.

Having taken Nanase-kun's invitation at face value, she had accordingly shown up at his backdoor one Tuesday afternoon after swim practice and been ambushed by Makkou-chan. She had thought to take him out for a run, as part of her own regular land training. Even the laziest of canines couldn’t resist the idea of a chase, and Makkou-chan wasn’t lazy – he had forced her to run twice her usual limit, and Nanase-kun had walked in to see the two collapsed on his living room floor, out of breath.

Aki hadn't expected Nanase-kun to lace up his own running shoes the following Thursday, when Aki decided to take Makkou-chan on another run. “It's good that he’s getting exercise,” he had shrugged.

More importantly, Aki _really_ hadn't expected Nanase Haruka, swimming prodigy, to be the human embodiment of a tortoise when it came to his speed on land. She had initially tried to match his pace, but her sportsman spirit was left increasingly frustrated. She had eventually decided to keep to her own running schedule, with Nanase-kun straggling behind. Either due to masculine pride or some other factor, he remained outwardly stoic and unfettered throughout this demonstration, plodding along doggedly several steps behind with a pinched, focused expression on his small face; it was unbearably cute.

 _Cute_.

Aki’s mind has been conjuring such questionable adjectives far too often these days. She feels her face heat up and silently thanks the heavens that she is currently ten feet ahead of Nanase-kun's questioning blue gaze.

It's quite troublesome, really. While Nanase-kun's stoicism and quiet intensity have always held a certain allure, nowadays she is discovering things about him that only serve to increase his bizarre appeal. His innate gentleness comes out more often when he interacts with Makkou, and while Aki had caught glimpses of it before with Nagisa-kun (and she certainly hadn't been the only one, if Matsuoka-kun's foolproof relay plan was any indication) she still finds her breath catching in her throat when he directs one of his barely perceptible smiles towards the dog, and sometimes nowadays, at herself.

 _Nanase-kun has a lovely smile, doesn't he?_ It isn't particularly wide, but whenever he smiles his brows relax and the blue of his eyes grows visibly brighter, like the Mediterranean postcards from her aunt she has pinned to her vision board.

_Maybe he has a nice laugh too? I wonder if I could make him laugh?_

She sighs at herself. She sounds just like the besotted schoolgirl she is.

Nanase-kun's footsteps are keeping pace with hers now, and Makkou-chan is looking back at them in confusion. She realizes she has slowed down, consumed by her own useless thoughts.

"Something wrong, Yazaki?"

“It’s nothing! Just. Look, the sun’s setting!”

The sky is flecked with purple and orange, and in the dusk their shadows lengthen across the pathway. Aki has come to think of the moment just before the sun is swallowed by the sky as their time, that one part of the day that belongs to her and Nanase-kun and Makkou-chan alone. The time of magic lights and new discoveries.

 _This is the twelfth sunset I've watched with Nanase-kun and Makkou-chan this year_ , a small voice muses in her head.

It’s frightening, how, despite the routine, her heart still can’t quite define these moments as ordinary.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Haru opens his eyes to the patter of footsteps along a wooden floor.

He lies in bed and stares at the ceiling, studying the slant of light on it intently. His hands are curled over his head, his knees sprawling in two different directions, and his blanket bunched up in the small of his back in that beautiful sweet spot of comfort that’s so hard to find. He’s warm. He hears the footsteps again, followed by the _skritch-skritch_ of nails against wood.

The air in the house has a heightened sense to it when Haru emerges from his bedroom, bedhead still untouched but teeth brushed. Like all the furniture is taking notes on him. He pads slowly, carefully, unsurely through the corridors; the door to the back porch is slid open and Makkou’s pillow is strewn halfway out. Everything is bright when Haru steps onto the porch.

Aki looks up at him, grinning. Haru squints.

“Hi, Nanase-kun… I didn’t want to wake you up.”

His dog circles her, ignoring him completely. Makkou rolls over and cycles the air, making Aki laugh and turn away from him to scratch Makkou’s belly. Haru runs a hand through his hair, his face feeling very aware of Aki’s glances at it.

“I’m up.”

She doesn’t seem to want to look at him anymore. Aki kneels beside Makkou and strokes him, more or less cuddling him in her arms. The dog yaps and tries to lick her face clean off; she breaks into quiet giggles but doesn’t break away.

“Good morning.”

Aki smiles widely and Haru’s ear tips are hot. “Good morning! I’m sorry for barging in like this… I was alone at home and, then I wanted to see Makkou-chan.”

She’s looking away from him again and there’s a telltale pinkness to her cheeks. Haru sits down and Makkou finally turns away from her to trot up to him, nose sniffing insistently at his hands. Makkou sits up and whines.

“I think Makkou-chan is hungry,” says Aki. “He was pacing the kitchen when I got here.”

“So am I,” says Haru.

“Ah yes,” smiles Aki. “But Makkou-chan doesn’t like fish.”

“Traitor.”

And then Aki laughs and Haru’s on his feet again, his fist tight against his stomach in an attempt to slow its fluttering. Makkou runs through the door, reading his gesture perfectly. Haru pauses at the door and looks back at Aki, still kneeling on the grass.

“Do you like _onigiri_?”

She smiles – so much smiling. She’s always smiling. Haru’s constantly left wondering if she even counts the number of smiles she gives away for free – and nods, getting to her feet. Haru turns his head with a short jerk. “Come on, then.”

He does not look to see if she follows. But his ears catch the soft fall of her step behind him, the shush of her hand rubbing her arm, the huff of her breath. He wishes he was wearing a shirt with a collar instead of his loose sleeping t-shirt.

Makkou is sitting expectantly in the middle of the kitchen floor. He barks and trots up to Aki, so Haru leaves her to deal with him while he takes out rice and sets it to warm on the stove. He’s taking out the leftover salmon and _umeboshi_ from last night’s dinner when he turns to see Aki putting on his mother’s apron, hanging beside his own. It’s slightly dusty. Haru stands up straight.

“Do you need help?”

“No, I…” But she’s already setting out the cutting board and scolding Makkou for literally sniffing at her heels while she walks. Haru kneels and fills Makkou’s bowl with dry kibble.

They fall into the process of making _onigiri_ together so naturally that it feels familiar. Haru spreads the rice, inserts the filling and rolls it, handing it to Aki, who seasons it with _furikake_ and wraps it up in _nori_. Sometimes, she’s done quicker than him, sometimes he’s left waiting to hand over the next one. But they fit, in that space; the quiet is filled with abrupt, “Here,” and “One second,” and “Thanks.”

Aki glances at Haru as she finishes the last one then cheekily pops it into her mouth. Haru rolls his eyes.

“I’m the one who hasn’t had breakfast, you know.”

“‘s ok,” says Aki through her full mouth. She gulps and laughs at Haru’s tiny glare. “It’s good! Eat one!”

“Was going to,” he grumbles, and takes a bite out of one.

It somehow quickly dissolves into an eating contest, with the two of them grabbing for the next _onigiri_ before the first is even halfway down their throats. Haru looks up to see a face with bulging cheeks and coughs into his hand, bending over to hide his laughter. Aki gulps quickly and washes it down with water before trying to mock-glare at him.

It’s only ten in the morning and that’s early for Haru. And yet, his whole face feels abnormally awake and aware and he fidgets, setting down the last _onigiri_ and sliding it towards Aki. She pokes it but doesn’t pick it up. The feeling of being watched by his furniture does not fade. He thinks about how ironic it would be for his house to be infested by _tsukumogami_ , and all of them invested in his love life.

Wait.

What?

No, wait.

“Nanase-kun, you’re spacing out.”

He looks down at Makkou setting a paw on his knee and looking into his eyes. The dog’s eyes are twinkling. Would it be far-fetched to assume that he was being made fun of by his dog? Haru doesn’t want to look up again, because there’s heat on his cheeks, his ears, his neck, and he knows that means he’s turning red.

“…Why were you alone at home?”

“Huh? Oh…” He’s still staring at his dog, who is still making knowing eyes at him, but he somehow knows that Aki has turned away from him in embarrassment. “My parents have jobs and errands that they leave for pretty early. And Onii-chan went out with friends…”

Her brother is Yazaki Shouta, the boy he’d raced and beaten a few weeks back. Haru looks up finally to see Aki staring directly at him.

“Does Nanase-kun still worry about what happened? …With my nii-chan?”

“No,” says Haru. “Not really.”

The Makoto in his head is berating him for being so callously brief but Aki smiles. She runs a hand through her hair, tugging at her braid thoughtfully.

“That’s good. It shouldn’t affect you, so I’m glad. Nii-chan’s problems are his own.”

“Yeah,” says Haru, “is swimming very important to you?”

He hears the words float out undirected and his eyes widen at the same time that Aki’s does. His heart is pounding in his chest, tight, uncomfortable warmth settling into his stomach at the sight of Aki’s cheeks reddening swiftly.

“I… Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know.” He looks at her for a second and then turns away, standing up to start clearing the kitchen. “Never mind.”

As if sensing the sudden tension, Makkou starts barking and jumping around Aki, obviously seeking her attention. They both break away from each other and turn to their respective tasks: he clears up the cutting board and bowls, she tries to pacify his dog. He’s done before her; Makkou is whining petulantly at Aki as she strokes him and pets him. Haru finds out why when he turns and sees that Aki’s gazing at him.

“What?”

She glances away, as if embarrassed that she was caught staring, but looks back with a determined expression. “I want to answer your question. It is.”

Haru tilts his head at her.

“Swimming is… important to me,” says Aki. She’s so brave that she holds Haru’s gaze even as she confesses. “I started because of my brother, because I admired him and wanted to do the same thing as him but. It’s more than that. For me.”

 _Me too_ , thinks Haru. He inspects his fingernails. _It hasn’t always been, though_.

“It hasn’t always been like that,” she continues; Haru’s head jerks up. “I didn’t really learn what swimming meant to me before that relay when we were in shōgakkō. But swimming with Yuuki-chan and the others really showed me how fun swimming is. And… I’ve said it before, but watching you work hard with Matsuoka-kun, Nagisa-kun and Tachibana-kun. It was really inspiring.”

_How can you talk like that without feeling self-conscious?_

Aki blushes. “Ah… I spoke too much. Please, um, ignore me, Nanase-kun––”

“No.”

He knows she’s gazing at him. He can feel it on his forehead. He traces his hand.

“I feel the same way. Swimming is fun.”

With that, somehow, like magic –– the furniture go back to minding their own businesses and Haru settles into his seat with a soft sigh. Makkou pads over to him, finally leaving Aki alone to nudge at Haru for a bellyrub. He does so, rubbing gently with his foot. When Haru raises his eyes for the last time, he knows what he’s going to see.

And he sees it. Aki smiling like a blooming sunflower at him.

“Yeah.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

After swim club, there’s going out with Satomi to try out new ice-cream flavours, there’s going home to have dinner and yell at her brother for a bit for taking her goggles without her permission, there’s watching some television and doing some homework before falling into bed out of happy exhaustion. There’s a lot to do. Aki mounts her bike and waves goodbye to Satomi before turning the opposite direction to her home.

It was completely odd, not to see the figures of Nanase-kun and Tachibana-kun among the boys, next to Kirishima-kun and Shiina-kun’s bickering. It was even odder not seeing Nanase-kun’s swift cut through the water, people falling into silent awe because it truly was a phenomenon to be enjoyed. It was odd overall, and Aki couldn’t accept Tachibana-kun’s, “We got tired of it,” which sounded like a bald-faced lie, even without being accompanied by that strange smile he sometimes used.

Aki cycles harder. Once she gets to the foot of the stone staircase, she heaves her bike beside her and trots up the steps with astonishing speed. Even so, she hears Makkou’s welcoming volley of barks before she comes near the front door.

The door is opened before she can raise her hand to ring the doorbell.

For a few minutes, all they do is blink at each other and ignore the dog rushing around their feet. For a few seconds, all of Aki’s words hang in her throat, trained to dive off her tongue in a torrent. Then Nanase-kun steps back and gestures for her to come in and it dies, all of it dies, and there’s a blank sadness in her mind. She steps inside the darkening house.

“You weren’t at practice.”

She doesn’t know how to interpret her tone. Worried? Angry? Nanase-kun doesn’t look at her, so she can assume that it isn’t positive.

“Neither was Tachibana-kun. Neither of you were at practice.”

He walks away from her, gesturing at her to follow. Makkou stays with her on the _genkan_.

“Even Shiina-kun said he didn’t know why you weren’t there… And when I asked Tachibana-kun, he said––”

Her words jerk to a stop. It acts like a rope, apparently, because Nanase-kun also stops. Then turns around wearily, like exhaustion had sunk deep into his bones. She has no tears in her eyes, she knows that; but she probably looks like her heart is breaking. She wonders if that could be true.

“Yazaki, I quit the swim club.”

“ _Why_ ––? Tachibana-kun, too? Why would you leave…”

He shrugs, but it looks as if he’s raising a boulder with his shoulders. “Makoto can do as he pleases. I haven’t asked him to do anything. But I’ve quit.”

Makkou is sniffing at her feet, pressing his nose to her knee in that way he does when he’s trying to comfort. She holds her fists at her sides.

“Yazaki. I’m sorry…”

He’s saying sorry to her.

She only feels sorry for him.

“It’s alright… I just can’t understand. It’s your secret to keep, however.”

There’s heat in her eyes now and she knows that she’ll cry for him if she doesn’t leave soon. Aki turns quickly and opens the door to leave; Makkou whines at her.

“Wait, Yazaki–– I have a favour to ask of you.” He’s looking at her with a muted plea that Aki knows he’s not going to voice. “My parents are coming home and… I can’t keep Makkou. They won’t want him around.”

She stares at him. “Are you asking me to take him?”

“If you don’t…” He looks down. “I’ll have to give him up to the pound. He likes you.”

“Makkou-chan’s your dog…”

“He likes you,” says Nanase-kun insistently. “He always has. He’ll be happy with you.”

To Aki, it sounded like Nanase-kun was throwing away all the things that made _him_ happy.  Like a shipwrecked man leaving behind the things he deems unnecessary. She wonders, fiercely, what happened -- but she can tell by the blank look in Nanase-kun’s eyes that he’s not going to speak of it.

“Okay… I’ll take Makkou-chan.” She hesitates. “Thank you.”

 At the door, she pauses, holds her breath. Aki looks to see Nanase-kun staring at her, and it feels too much like parting. She exhales.

“Is swimming important to you?”

There is no change in his expression.

“I don’t know.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

He uses the jog back from training as land practice, taking a detour through Shinjuku Gyoen before making his way back to his cramped apartment. His speed on land has increased over the years, although he doesn't think he'll ever quite relate to Rin or Rei's exhilaration with running.

But Haru can appreciate the snapshots of daily life that he glimpses as he takes new routes through Tokyo, through narrow alleys and wide parks. He likes watching people, he’s come to realize. It's a concept that his younger self would probably have scoffed at, although it might have been applicable to him as well. And it's definitely true that more often than not, instead of dreamy waterscapes, the small sketchbook he carries around with him to de-stress after particularly obnoxious PR training sessions features slightly different scenes: arms tangling together as they hug over a broad shoulder, bright red next to blonde and blue bowed over a map, three mangy kittens trying to clamber over a gentle calloused hand, a lone cherry blossom petal floating on the pool surface at sunset, a wet black nose, a flutter of dirty white behind a sunflower smile.

He picks up his pace, wanting to reach his home and warm bathtub before the autumn chill seeps into his bones; the leaves crunch satisfyingly under his feet. He stops in front of a flower shop to take a swig from his water bottle, and looks up only to be met with a pair of familiar brown eyes. Autumn leaves are caught in a mass of dark fur, and those eyes have not lost their sparkle in seven years, albeit now they seem age-worn, almost dignified.

Haru barely manages to avoid dropping his water bottle as his feet lead him towards the phantom from his past. He holds out his hand, and then hesitates. He could be making a fool out of himself entirely, but if there's one quality Haru can pride himself on never having it is self-consciousness. And he would know those eyes anywhere.

“Makkou-chan, here!”

And there he is: one pointed ear perks up and solemn eyes turn to regard him silently. A sniff of the nose, a swish of the tail, and then ––

His dog takes a running leap at him, only to be foiled by the pole he is tied to. Makkou raises a cacophony, barking and thrashing around, and Haru launches himself at him to try and make him quiet down. He finds his face being licked all over, Makkou whining excitedly in his ear. He can feel his throat closing up, as he holds a piece from his past in his arms – from another Haru, another time, one he maybe hasn’t lost for good after all.

“What on _earth_ , Makkou-chan, I said I'd be back in five minutes–– ah…”

And then Haru looks up into hazel eyes widened at him.

Aki raises a hand to her face. She has taken to wearing her hair shorter, a large pair of glasses perched on her nose. She has paired her fall coat and pristine knit white scarf with track pants emblazoned with ‘Nihon University Swim Team’.

Her face blossoms into a smile that has more lines around it than he remembers, radiating self-assured warmth.

“You’d better not be trying to steal your dog back, Nanase-kun.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
